For any of you thinking about a career in development, learning a few programming languages is a must. This will likely take some time, but no doubt the hours invested will pay off. Software development or any kind of development is a well-paid career path. The opportunities for growth are there and the opportunity for a well-paid career is a possibility.
But it’s easier to say that than to actually get there. As such, we’ve selected a few programming languages you should learn if you’re a beginner. We’re ranking this list based on difficulty. Namely, as the title of this guide suggests, we will talk about the easiest programming languages beginners should learn.
So with all that out of the way, let’s start.
1. HTML/CSS
Many would disregard HTML/CSS as programming languages. They don’t fit in the software development job description, but they are essential for building websites and web-based solutions and applications.
What HTML and CSS gives you is the ability to make simple websites. And for beginners, that’s all you need to know before making the step into the bigger leagues. Junior web developers must have a stellar understanding of these two languages. Not only are they easy to learn, but they will help you create awesome websites.
But what do we mean by web development? If you’re a total rookie and have no idea what web development means, it’s essentially the practice of creating websites and web-based solutions.
HTML and CSS will not be enough when creating complex web-based solutions, but these two languages are definitely necessary. HTML is responsible for the structure of your project, while CSS helps you style it.
For more complex projects, you will need to learn other languages such as JavaScript and PHP.
2. PHP
Every front-end solution needs a backend. PHP is a programming language that allows you to create the server-side of your web-based solution. If you’re planning on launching your project on the internet, then you will need to establish a database. While you don’t necessarily do that with PHP, you must learn this particular language.
PHP is easy to learn, has clear syntax, and has a wonderful online community that will help you if you get stuck on an issue. PHP is embedded into HTML and is primarily used in web development.
If you didn’t figure it out by now, web development is much easier than software development hence why the three easiest programming languages on this list fall in this category.
3. Haskell
The reason Haskell is so difficult to learn is down to a few things. For starters, it is a purely functional language that demands a mathematical education to operate with the functions. So, the programming paradigm differs from what many developers are stuck to. Secondly, once announced, the variables can not be changed. Think about them as static figures, which is a bit complicated at the beginning, but finally, it helps to provide clear and simple code without bugs related to the variable changes.
And, at last, Haskell has a robust GHC compiler, which helps to catch many of the errors on the go. Haskell uses very simple syntaxis and can implement pure mathematical solutions for the tasks. This makes crazy many OOP developers who operate objects. But if you’ll attempt to study Haskell, it spreads your horizons even in using OOP for your tasks. Check this blog by Serokell to know more about Haskell programming language.
4. C
C is an essential programming language. It is intended for software development and is considered a general-purpose language. If you’re thinking about a career as a software developer, learning C is a must.
Luckily for you, C isn’t that complicated and can help you before moving on to other languages. With all that said, many applications and software are built on C. From Windows and Unix to Photoshop, C is definitely a popular programming language in today’s programming landscape.
When it comes to complexity and difficulty, C is easy to understand and comes with a simple syntax. Many of the rules of C are implemented in other programming languages. This will give you enough knowledge to tackle more complex languages much easier.
5. Java
The move from C to Java won’t be an easy one. That being said, Java is an object-orientated language that is very popular. We like to point out that Java has nothing in common with JavaScript. While JavaScript is a frontend language intended for web-based applications, Java is a backend language programming language that excels in security applications. That doesn’t mean you can’t develop software in Java.
The syntax of the language is very beginner-friendly and has a clear-cut structure that makes it difficult to deviate from. What will help you learn Java, even more, is knowledge of any other object-orientated programming language.
This is the part of the guide where we tell you about the most difficult to learn programming languages out there. These five languages are considered the easiest to learn for beginners. If you’re thinking of learning a more complex language, knowledge in these five is a smart thing to have. To finish off, allow us to give you a brief rundown of a few difficult-to-learn programming languages for beginners.
• C++
Arguably one of the most difficult programming languages to learn is C++. If the name doesn’t give it away, C++ is an extension of C. It is yet another general-purpose programming language that comes with more complex syntax.
• LISP
Primarily used for developing AI, LISP is far from easy to learn. It is quite old and considered one of the oldest programming languages. It might be difficult to understand the syntax of this language since it is a fragmented language.
• JavaScript
Yet another programming language intended for web development is JavaScript. JavaScript is a script-based programming language that is native to every browser. From Chrome to Microsoft Edge, every browser supports JavaScript.
You will need JavaScript to create more complex websites and web-based solutions. Not only that but learning JavaScript is essential if you want a career in web development. The syntax of the language makes it very easy to learn, and extremely useful to learn. JavaScript is constantly updating and you’ll need to stay on top of new changes when they get here. Over the years, JavaScript has seen implementation in the Internet of Things (IoT) and software applications.
As a matter of fact, the functionalities of software applications are built through JavaScript. So any beginner must learn this programming language.
Software companies employ developers that understand JavaScript for web-based solutions and applications.
